The Nigerian Navy officer, Lieutenant A.M. Yarima, who recently had a confrontation with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, reportedly escaped an assassination attempt on Sunday evening.
Yarima serves as Security Officer to Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (rtd), former Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) – January 29, 2021 to June 23, 2023.
Military sources confirmed to Vanguard that Lieutenant Yarima was trailed by unidentified men dressed in black and riding in two unmarked Hilux vans with no number plates. The vehicles allegedly followed him from the NIPCO Filling Station off the Line Expressway to Gado Nasco Way, Abuja.
According to the source, the officer noticed the surveillance and executed a “strategic maneuver,” successfully evading the suspected assailants. The incident reportedly occurred around 6:30 p.m.
The source added that the matter is under investigation and is receiving “the seriousness it deserves,” noting that further details are being withheld so as not to compromise the process.
The development comes days after Lt. Yarima, while on duty with other security personnel, engaged in a tense confrontation with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike over a disputed land site in Gaduwa District. The clash, captured on video, sparked widespread public debate and prompted intervention from the Presidency, which subsequently halted the demolition exercise at the site.
Following the incident, military veterans nationwide criticised Wike for verbally insulting the officer and rejected calls for disciplinary action against Yarima.
Spokesman for the Coalition of Retired Veterans, Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, warned that ex-service members would “occupy the office and residence of the FCT Minister” if the officer faced any punishment.
He stressed that military personnel owe allegiance to Nigeria—not individual public officials—and insisted that Wike must apologise for his remarks.
“How can a public office holder call an officer ‘a fool’ on camera?” he queried, adding that such conduct undermines national institutions and demeans the dignity of public office.
Born on February 8, 1993, Lieutenant Yarima was raised in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where Minister Wike served as Governor from 2015 to 2023.
He attended several schools in the city, including Sovina Model Schools, Evangel Academy, Treasure Memorial Schools, and Victory Comprehensive College.
He later gained admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy as a member of the 64 Regular Course and was commissioned on September 22, 2017. He rose through the ranks from Midshipman in September 2016 to Sub-Lieutenant in September 2017, and to Lieutenant in September 2022.
Written with reports from Vanguard, PRNigeria